"Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters" FUNimation English Dub Official Announcement and Discussion Thread

[Tobi555]

It's already December and we still haven't heard of it, though. We did, however, already hear about the new Gundam and its time slot a while back. I'm mostly basing this around Super, though. Super has even had a cast announcement and we still haven't heard a peep about The Final Chapters. It stands to reason that at some point in 2016, the decision was made to forego Buu Kai in favor of Super. That's why they were holding off on announcing it. There was no guarantee that they would even release it, so they were deciding whether or not to go through with it. Ultimately, it was decided that it simply wasn't profitable with a new series around. Again, all speculation, but this makes the most sense.

Now, I do believe Geekdom's sources to be legitimate, but we have no idea how outdated the information these sources have is. It's very unlikely that they're that far up on the corporate ladder.

That doesn't make any sense, then why would Sean still be recording in late spring this year if they planned on scrapping it. Not to mention Sean's guaranteed us we're getting it anyways.

[AzuraRacon]

It's already December and we still haven't heard of it, though. We did, however, already hear about the new Gundam and its time slot a while back. I'm mostly basing this around Super, though. Super has even had a cast announcement and we still haven't heard a peep about The Final Chapters. It stands to reason that at some point in 2016, the decision was made to forego Buu Kai in favor of Super. That's why they were holding off on announcing it. There was no guarantee that they would even release it, so they were deciding whether or not to go through with it. Ultimately, it was decided that it simply wasn't profitable with a new series around. Again, all speculation, but this makes the most sense.

Now, I do believe Geekdom's sources to be legitimate, but we have no idea how outdated the information these sources have is. It's very unlikely that they're that far up on the corporate ladder.

That doesn't make any sense, then why would Sean still be recording in late spring this year if they planned on scrapping it. Not to mention Sean's guaranteed us we're getting it anyways.

Has he?
I remember him talking about it at conventions, but never heard a full on confirmation?

If you've got a source on that by all means share it cause it'd take a massive load off my mind lol

[Tobi555]

Has he?
I remember him talking about it at conventions, but never heard a full on confirmation?

If you've got a source on that by all means share it cause it'd take a massive load off my mind lol

I'm talking about him saying "It's done It's gonna get released" from the Bristol Comic Con panel where he confirmed that he finished recording this year and that everyone else was done recording. Search up the panel if you haven't seen it but I'm sure everyone here has seen it by this point XD

[AzuraRacon]

Has he?
I remember him talking about it at conventions, but never heard a full on confirmation?

If you've got a source on that by all means share it cause it'd take a massive load off my mind lol

I'm talking about him saying "It's done It's gonna get released" from the Bristol Comic Con panel where he confirmed that he finished recording this year and that everyone else was done recording. Search up the panel if you haven't seen it but I'm sure everyone here has seen it by this point XD

Ooooh that
Yeah I've seen that
I remembered the "It's done" Part, just not the "It's gonna get released" Part

Granted, I guess this entire thread isn't so much about the "If," just the "When"

[Valerius Dover]

It's already December and we still haven't heard of it, though. We did, however, already hear about the new Gundam and its time slot a while back. I'm mostly basing this around Super, though. Super has even had a cast announcement and we still haven't heard a peep about The Final Chapters. It stands to reason that at some point in 2016, the decision was made to forego Buu Kai in favor of Super. That's why they were holding off on announcing it. There was no guarantee that they would even release it, so they were deciding whether or not to go through with it. Ultimately, it was decided that it simply wasn't profitable with a new series around. Again, all speculation, but this makes the most sense.

Now, I do believe Geekdom's sources to be legitimate, but we have no idea how outdated the information these sources have is. It's very unlikely that they're that far up on the corporate ladder.

That doesn't make any sense, then why would Sean still be recording in late spring this year if they planned on scrapping it. Not to mention Sean's guaranteed us we're getting it anyways.

I'm saying that the decision to scrap it could very well have occurred after that. Furthermore, Kyle Hebert recently implied he hasn't even recorded any lines for it, though that seems a little inconsistent with certain other information, so I'm not sure what to make of it.

[AzuraRacon]

It's already December and we still haven't heard of it, though. We did, however, already hear about the new Gundam and its time slot a while back. I'm mostly basing this around Super, though. Super has even had a cast announcement and we still haven't heard a peep about The Final Chapters. It stands to reason that at some point in 2016, the decision was made to forego Buu Kai in favor of Super. That's why they were holding off on announcing it. There was no guarantee that they would even release it, so they were deciding whether or not to go through with it. Ultimately, it was decided that it simply wasn't profitable with a new series around. Again, all speculation, but this makes the most sense.

Now, I do believe Geekdom's sources to be legitimate, but we have no idea how outdated the information these sources have is. It's very unlikely that they're that far up on the corporate ladder.

That doesn't make any sense, then why would Sean still be recording in late spring this year if they planned on scrapping it. Not to mention Sean's guaranteed us we're getting it anyways.

I'm saying that the decision to scrap it could very well have occurred after that. Furthermore, Kyle Hebert recently implied he hasn't even recorded any lines for it, though that seems a little inconsistent with certain other information, so I'm not sure what to make of it.

Sean apparently finished up around that time, and was the last to record, meaning all other recording would have been done

As for Hebert We know from BOG extras that he had recorded for Kai. He was told to draw from his Z performance, and less his Kai one if I recall. That kind of Direction wouldn't be needed if he hadn't recorded for Kai at all

Hebert kinda dodges confirmation on if the Kai dub is done when it's brought up, so I've always taken that statement of not finishing recording as covering himself after saying "We're still waiting on the last bit of Kai"

[thaman91]

It's already December and we still haven't heard of it, though. We did, however, already hear about the new Gundam and its time slot a while back. I'm mostly basing this around Super, though. Super has even had a cast announcement and we still haven't heard a peep about The Final Chapters.

The thing that weakens this theory is that The Final Chapters is still the same show. Its premiere is just episode 99 of Kai. That's how the numbering worked in both Japan and France. So if it's still the same show, what is there to really announce? What new "replacement" are they going to announce if it's just the same show that's going to continue to air? And I could be wrong, but the new Gundam show is a new show from the one currently airing right? Well if that's the case, then we can't really compare its situation with Kai.

It stands to reason that at some point in 2016, the decision was made to forego Buu Kai in favor of Super. That's why they were holding off on announcing it. There was no guarantee that they would even release it, so they were deciding whether or not to go through with it. Ultimately, it was decided that it simply wasn't profitable with a new series around. Again, all speculation, but this makes the most sense.

Now, I do believe Geekdom's sources to be legitimate, but we have no idea how outdated the information these sources have is. It's very unlikely that they're that far up on the corporate ladder.

While your theory is possible, I wouldn't say that it's the one that makes the most sense. I actually have another theory: FUNi will simply let Buu Kai air on Toonami without any kind of fanfare in order to not divert attention away from Super. I mean, if they make another huge announcement for it, people might get confused as to which show is the "new" one they should be watching. But if they don't make a big deal about it, the Buu episodes will just quietly air, and the people that were always going to watch it will watch it.

Additionally, you keep saying that it wouldn't be "profitable" to air Buu Kai. But is that just a buzz word, or do you actually have insight into why it wouldn't be profitable? Because if we look back in time, we can see that both DB and DBZ aired on the same days back-to-back.....and on the same channel! In this case, it wouldn't even be the same channel or same time; one show would be in an after-school time slot while the other show would be at midnight on Adult Swim. And can you tell me what specifically would be "not profitable" about airing the already finished Buu episodes on television? Like how would doing this deed cause them to actually lose money, given that they've already spent money on completing this product?

In all likelihood, FUNi probably made a deal with Toonami/Adult Swim back in May 2014 and gave them the television rights to Kai, including The Final Chapters; and that's the reason the Buu episodes didn't air in the US like they did in the rest of the world (since Toonami started at the beginning). And why do I think that this deal included the Buu episodes? Well it's because, according to Christopher Sabat, FUNi had licensed the Buu episodes as of March 2013 (source: http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/news ... l-kai-dub/) and so, if they were going to make a post-2013 television deal for Kai, there's no way that it doesn't include the Buu episodes. And so, proceeding under the assumption that a television deal is in place for Buu Kai, can FUNi just up and decide not to air it? Doesn't Toonami have a say in that if a deal was made that included it? And if they can decide not to air it, why would they do this? If you say it's because they'll lose money.....well please explain how they'd lose money by simply allowing Toonami to air the episodes (and go beyond the usual "it's just not profitable in a post-Super world" catch phrase). And yes, I do believe this is a completed product. Hebert was just dodging all acknowledgement of the Buu episodes, as he's been doing ever since he first let it slip that he was recording for it. Schemmel, on the other hand, is as candid as you can get; if he says it's done, then I believe him.

[rs_chaosmaster]

Funimation would be very stupid not to release the Buu arc of Kai many fans will buy both super and buu kai at the same time. Also they paid money for the license which wasn't cheap. Also DBZ Kai is the top rated show on toonami with the lineup as it is could anything pull in those kind of ratings in the midnight slot i doubt it. If Kai was really done this month we would of had the replacement show announced. Their wil be no replacement show for Dragonball as Toonami will likely go Kai Buu than Super when it finishes. They can have Dragon ball as the backbone for Toonami for years and years to come at least 3 with current content and Super will be at least 150 episodes guaranteed.

[IAmTheMilkMan]

I highly doubt there will be much of an announcement for Buu Kai since, as others have stated, it's just more episodes of the same show. We'll know for sure what will be happening soon.

And why is everyone so convinced that Super won't air on Toonami? Where is this information coming from that Toei wants Super to be aired in a more kid-friendly time slot? To me, that sounds like fan speculation that is now being passed around as fact based on absolutely nothing. Ultimately, I don't feel like Toei or Funimation are putting as much thought into where Buu Kai/Super airs as much as everyone here seems to think they are. I can see Super airing on Toonami once Buu Kai finishes because it's already a pre-established home for the series, the ratings have been good, and that will give Funimation more time to work on dubbing Super.

[rs_chaosmaster]

Well the info is Hercule's Voice Actor confirmed their is an edited dub track which would not be needed if it was airing on adult swim. This is leading people to the conclusion that Toonami will not get Super. However it is a bad conclusion the better one is that another network will air Super before Toonami.

[Cure Dragon 255]

It wasnt Hercule's voice actor, it was Goku's, Sean Schemmel himself.

[rs_chaosmaster]

It had to have been both then unless Geekdom101 is mistaken??

[AzuraRacon]

I highly doubt there will be much of an announcement for Buu Kai since, as others have stated, it's just more episodes of the same show. We'll know for sure what will be happening soon.

And why is everyone so convinced that Super won't air on Toonami? Where is this information coming from that Toei wants Super to be aired in a more kid-friendly time slot? To me, that sounds like fan speculation that is now being passed around as fact based on absolutely nothing. Ultimately, I don't feel like Toei or Funimation are putting as much thought into where Buu Kai/Super airs as much as everyone here seems to think they are. I can see Super airing on Toonami once Buu Kai finishes because it's already a pre-established home for the series, the ratings have been good, and that will give Funimation more time to work on dubbing Super.

The problem with that theory is that Buu Kai is 69 episodes long internationally
That's as long as super will be once it's next episode airs and would make it over a year before Super can be released anywhere
It wouldn't make sense for it to be handled that way

However, if it goes somewhere else, super can release much faster and simultaneously with Buu, and will get much more exposure, which they'd want for it being a brand new show

It's all-around the best case scenario and I think that's why people are just assuming it'll be that way

[IAmTheMilkMan]

The problem with that theory is that Buu Kai is 69 episodes long internationally
That's as long as super will be once it's next episode airs and would make it over a year before Super can be released anywhere
It wouldn't make sense for it to be handled that way

I suppose that's true. It would be odd to announce Super so far in advance if that were the case. I'm sure we'll find out soon, but I wouldn't completely rule out Super airing on Toonami. It would make sense to keep the franchise together on one network. It could air alongside Buu Kai, much like DB did when DBZ was airing back in the day.

Well the info is Hercule's Voice Actor confirmed their is an edited dub track which would not be needed if it was airing on adult swim. This is leading people to the conclusion that Toonami will not get Super. However it is a bad conclusion the better one is that another network will air Super before Toonami.

I agree, that is a bad conclusion to come to. They always produce an edited version of the dub just in case they wind up on a network at some point that needs it. In no way does that guarantee that they will actually use it. Matter of fact, Christopher Sabat hopes they never do.

[AzuraRacon]

Well the info is Hercule's Voice Actor confirmed their is an edited dub track which would not be needed if it was airing on adult swim. This is leading people to the conclusion that Toonami will not get Super. However it is a bad conclusion the better one is that another network will air Super before Toonami.

I agree, that is a bad conclusion to come to. They always produce an edited version of the dub just in case they wind up on a network at some point that needs it. In no way does that guarantee that they will actually use it. Matter of fact, Christopher Sabat hopes they never do.

It's still odd to me, though, that Sabat doesn't seem sure if they will or not

Is Network dealing just handled by a totally different branch than the Show's production?
Or are Toei themselves working out the TV deal?

[Valerius Dover]

While I think that would make sense in theory, one has to remember that when DB and DBZ were airing, they were both essentially showing new episodes in the US. Airing the old Buu episode alongside Super, especially with the animation difference, wouldn't work at all. Furthermore, the timeframe of Super's release seems to be more indicative of a Toonami debut. Super dub is debuting in January, just after the Cell arc of Kai ends. While it's true that an edited version of it has been made, Chris Sabat's comment about hoping it goes unused indicates that no TV deal has been made on a kid's channel yet. This means the only place Super could feasibly debut is Toonami, which leaves no room for The Final Chapters.

Believe me, I wish I was wrong, but hear me out. If it's no big deal, why are all the VAs silent about it? If it was just more episodes of the same series, you'd think people would be able to talk about it. It's evident that they're keeping it a secret to get us to think that it was never dubbed in the first place. The fan reactions or lack thereof speaks for just how insignificant most view it. And as for it being a waste of money. Remember what happened to Ocean Kai. They dubbed and rescored the whole thing, but it'll never see the light of day. Similar thing here. The whole thing may very well have been dubbed, but it won't be released. Kai may have done well before there was a new series, but now that the latter exists, there's simply not enough interest in a recut.

Those of us in this thread are probably among the only ones who even care at this point.

[DBZ_Lee]

I highly doubt there will be much of an announcement for Buu Kai since, as others have stated, it's just more episodes of the same show. We'll know for sure what will be happening soon.

And why is everyone so convinced that Super won't air on Toonami? Where is this information coming from that Toei wants Super to be aired in a more kid-friendly time slot? To me, that sounds like fan speculation that is now being passed around as fact based on absolutely nothing. Ultimately, I don't feel like Toei or Funimation are putting as much thought into where Buu Kai/Super airs as much as everyone here seems to think they are. I can see Super airing on Toonami once Buu Kai finishes because it's already a pre-established home for the series, the ratings have been good, and that will give Funimation more time to work on dubbing Super.

Given, that is Toei Europe, but considering Toei has stated that Super is aimed towards kids in the past, it certainly isn't speculation.
It is clear they intend to market Super in the same way they did with Kai, which sadly, didn't work.
If Dragon Ball is going to survive, it needs to be given the opportunity to grow new, younger fans to take it into the next generation.
How are Bandai going to sell toys if the show starts at midnight? I'm not saying it won't end up on Toonami, but I am saying it won't be Toei or Funi's first choice.

If it does go to Toonami, then yes, parents can record it for their children, but standards here are very different to Japan.
Are parents going to be happy with their child seeing blood, killing and possible profanity? I doubt that.
Super isn't that violent really, not a patch on the action cartoons I grew up watching back in the 80's, but things are very different here now.

If Buu Kai isn't replacing Cell, then I have no idea where it is going to go.

[thaman91]

While I think that would make sense in theory, one has to remember that when DB and DBZ were airing, they were both essentially showing new episodes in the US. Airing the old Buu episode alongside Super, especially with the animation difference, wouldn't work at all. Furthermore, the timeframe of Super's release seems to be more indicative of a Toonami debut. Super dub is debuting in January, just after the Cell arc of Kai ends. While it's true that an edited version of it has been made, Chris Sabat's comment about hoping it goes unused indicates that no TV deal has been made on a kid's channel yet. This means the only place Super could feasibly debut is Toonami, which leaves no room for The Final Chapters.

This whole theory hinges on Super being on Toonami. If it's not, then there is really no reason not to air The Final Chapters. And given that Super is a brand new show meant to draw in a new generation, I don't think Super will be on Toonami at midnight. And so, that leaves room for The Final Chapters.

Believe me, I wish I was wrong, but hear me out. If it's no big deal, why are all the VAs silent about it? If it was just more episodes of the same series, you'd think people would be able to talk about it. It's evident that they're keeping it a secret to get us to think that it was never dubbed in the first place. The fan reactions or lack thereof speaks for just how insignificant most view it. And as for it being a waste of money. Remember what happened to Ocean Kai. They dubbed and rescored the whole thing, but it'll never see the light of day. Similar thing here. The whole thing may very well have been dubbed, but it won't be released. Kai may have done well before there was a new series, but now that the latter exists, there's simply not enough interest in a recut.

Those of us in this thread are probably among the only ones who even care at this point.

Voice actors are silent because they signed a NDA. As for Ocean Kai, that situation is only comparable if the Buu Kai dub was created without having made a television deal. And the timing of the Toonami announcement for Kai back in May 2014 seems to indicate that Buu Kai was indeed part of that deal. So the Ocean Kai comparison is not really a valid one. As for no interest, where is the evidence that there will not be enough interest to make money off of their investment? Because that's all that is needed. The hard work in actually completing the dub has been finished so anything they do to get it on television or a home release can only benefit them. Regarding the Gundam thing, the last episode was scheduled to air on December 10th and they announced it this past Tuesday. The "last episode" of Kai is supposed to air on December 17th, a whole week later; so it's still possible that we get an announcement next week, if they're going to make one. Anyway, we'll find out soon I guess. Maybe I'm just really foolish, but I strongly believe that we'll see this thing in January.

[Lord Beerus]

If Buu Kai isn't replacing Cell, then I have no idea where it is going to go.

I know where it's going to go... straight to the DVD and Blu-Ray shelves.

[AzuraRacon]

Yeah I don't really get how you say that Buu kai isn't profitable to funimation or worth their time to release
Anything with "Dragon Ball Z" in the title is profitable for them to sell, especially since its already finished

Why would they pass over it and just sell super when they could potentially have two "new" Dragon Ball products out in roughly the same timeframe